Soundtrack of life
Music has always been very prominent in my life.
Didn't matter what was going on, there was music playing somewhere in our house.
My grandmother cleaned house to Glenn Miller and the Rat Pack while my grandfather liked Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
My parents loved country and bluegrass, my brother was a Pink Floyd freak and sister listened to pop music.
Queen, Supertramp, Electric Light Orchestra, Bachman Turner Overdrive, the Eagles and Judas Priest were as at home in our house as was Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Olivia Newton John.
It was normal to find many of them playing at the same time in different rooms of the house.
From the time my children were born there was a stereo softly playing classical selections by Beethoven and Vivaldi, and the classic rock music from the 50s-70s. They also enjoyed the music of the 80s and developed a taste for Janet Jackson, Prince and the Revolution and Brittney Spears and Marilyn Manson along their way to adulthood.
Honestly, I would prefer to listen to great music than watch most television programming.
My musical interests cross the spectrum, with the exclusion of 99.5 percent of the genre known as Rap. I will admit to liking a few of these types of songs, but, as a whole, I wouldn't mind if someone hit the erase button on the musical archive housing Rap for future generations.
All of the members of my family, including my husband, wake up to music, either through blaring clock radios, cell phone "song tones" or the television is still on one of those music channel selections. A few immediately grab MP3 players to get their musical fix for the morning.
Although it's made each morning, coffee isn't what drives the morning ambition in our household. It's music.
I've even caught my father humming in the kitchen when he's forgot to turn on the radio.
There's nothing quite like hearing a song start playing and hearing various people start singing along with it. They also break out in dance sometime.
Faithful reader, you know my home is a hectic place filled with friends, family and all the joy and tumult of life. Music seems to pull it all together and make it fun.
Trust me, I will ask for my children to turn down the Rap or hard rock music to a volume somewhere less than "ear bleeding" when I'm at home, but I have yet to tell them to turn it off.
While it is not my taste, I realize this music -- screaming, apparently, is a type of music today -- is their "soundtrack of life." (I have to chuckle at the thought of what they will find to dislike about my future grandchildren's music of choice.)
How this train of thought got started?
I tumbled out of bed, stumbled my way into the bathroom to jump in the shower. I turned on the cold water because it was hard to wake up this morning. Mentally, I was trying to decide if I wanted to call in and take the day off.
On the radio came a song by Dolly Pardon, "9 to 5."
Within three minutes, I was singing and smiling, ready to go to work. (I've included a Disney music video of Parton performing her famous song from YouTube.com, for your entertainment.)
When I got back into the bedroom, my darling husband had went to McDonalds and brought me breakfast.
"It looked like you needed a little something extra to get going this morning," he said with a big smile and gave me a hug and a bag with a breakfast sandwich inside.
Although he doesn't expect it, I'm going to fix him breakfast sometime in the next few days.
Breakfast Sausage Bundles
1 pound of turkey or pork sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained well
1 package Puff Pastry, thawed
3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly scrambled, cooled
2 green onion stalks, chopped
Shredded Cheese, up to a cup of your favorite
Garlic salt, black pepper and/or cayenne pepper to taste
Melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray miniature muffin tins with cooking spray.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each sheet of the puff pastry with a rolling pin until you have 10-inch squares. Use a floured pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2½ inch squares and then evenly spread the mustard over the pastry. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top along with the seasonings of your choice (garlic salt, black pepper and/or the cayenne pepper) before pressing the squares into the muffin cups, making sure you have corners sticking out.
Combine the cooked sausage, scrambled eggs, green onions and the shredded cheese in a bowl. Divide the mixture and spoon into each of the bundles. Bring the bundle corners together, pinch slightly and then twist to seal.
At this time, you can coat the bundles with the melted butter or spray the tops with the baking spray and sprinkle leftover shredded or Parmesan cheese on top. Or, for a healthier diet, bake without any topping.
Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for breakfasts on the go, after school or late night snacks. Pop in the microwave for a few seconds for a savory treat.
You can replace the sausage and eggs with any leftovers from dinner. Try using salsa instead of mustard and taco meat, refried beans and cheese for a southwestern flare. Use steak, horseradish or barbeque sauce with pulled pork and cheese to satisfy some hungry football fans.
A friend of mine said she has been able to turn this recipe into VEGAN bundles with a little imagination! (I'm a devote carnivore. So I'm not sure how she did it. But if anyone is interested, I can always ask her for the details.)
COOKING TIP: GETTING RID OF UNWANTED FAT AND GREASE
Several years ago, my sister provided me with a unique tip for helping "clean up" cooked sausage (or hamburger) for healthier eating. After the ground meat has been browned, my sister puts it in a strainer and rinses it with warm water to wash away the grease before continuing the cooking/seasoning process of a recipe.
I use this process when browning a large pan of ground beef or sausage with the intention of storing some of the cooked meat
- -- Posted by virginiagrace on Tue, Sep 14, 2010, at 10:19 PM
- -- Posted by Proud of My Country on Fri, Sep 17, 2010, at 12:11 PM
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